Kunoichi
by Lanthanon
Summary: Collection of one shot stories starring Yuffie.
1. Common Cold

Cait Sith always considered himself as a jack-of-all-trades. He's practically been everywhere and has seen everything. He traveled to the four corners of the world, faced an evil megalomaniac and his alien mother, survived three different global disasters and his overwhelming schedule in the WRO… but nothing prepared him for this scene.

Buried under three covers of fleece blankets, her futon surrounded by cold medicines, empty instant noodle cups carelessly scattering the floor, and all the windows of her one room house closed, making the entire place completely dark in the middle of the day, a blurry eyed Yuffie Kisaragi lifted her head and stared at the mechanical cat in obvious annoyance. "I thought I told you in advance that I can't go to work this week." She wheezed.

"You look like crap." Cait said matter of factly and added quickly before her well known temper would kick in despite her obvious sickness. "Came to see how you're doing…"

"By entering a private residence and seeing I'm sick?" Yuffie snorted. "Yeah, I'm just peachy." She glared at him again, "how the hell did you get your annoying ass in here, anyway?"

"Least you sense of humor is intact. Everyone's tryin' to contact you and got worried."

"The phone makes the headaches worse." Yuffie murmured, covering her head as she struggled to get herself some rest. "So I turned it off. You guys can live without me for a little while, right?"

"Actually, the HQ's pretty much quiet to the point of being eerie. Even Vincent was forced to play some music to fill in the void."

"Don't tell me… hit singles from forty years ago." She could sense Cait shuddering as the cat murmured "Those were the songs my granddad used to listen to…"

Yuffie gave a laugh, or as much as her body would let her, imagining a perplexed Vincent seeing his co-workers getting more bored by his new found hobby.

"Man, you look worse for wear, and this place is a dump. You should definitely get someone to take care of you." Cait said solemnly. This made the young ninja removing the blankets from her head again with a look that would have immediately boiled cold water.

"Cait, you're starting to sound like my dad." She said. "Don't say that again or I'll kick your ass, sick or not."

"Huh?"

"He keeps telling me I should get married soon so that the next time I get bedridden there's someone who'd watch out for me." She rolled her eyes. "It's just a common cold. Everyone has that. And I've been doing fine on my own, healthy and sick, ever since I was ten."

"…but."

"Of course I have to ask people to buy me food and medicine and stuff. And someone to watch out for the cats." She gave him another baleful look, "And I'll definitely make sure the door's securely locked after this."

Cait sat down, watching his friend burying herself in the blankets again, as though afraid to show any weaknesses. "I'm just saying… if you need us. For anything at all, we'll drop everything and come here as fast as we could."

The silence from Yuffie's side was a little too unnerving for him, but felt vastly relieved when her muffled voice answered. "You guys better live up to that sentence."

"Of course we will. You can trust me."

"I'll see you next week then." Yuffie said, "So I can kill you myself for illegal entering. You know the way out, I suppose, since I can't lead the way right now?"

Cait was slightly disappointed that the sick ninja still didn't take up with his offer to ask one of their friends to visit her. But in a way, he can see why she did. Everyone else had been too busy with their own lives. He, himself, was pushing it by this visit as well. And as she said lightly it was just a cold… she had always complained how sadistic he was by letting her work late hours, so it's good to see her getting some plenty of rest. "Yeah, but before I go I have to give you a message... 'Please get well, from everyone'."

Another long silence from the girl, as though the words he just spoken was in a language alien to her. "Tell them thanks. I'll bring sushi next time." She replied. Her voice was muffled underneath the blankets, so the little cat couldn't tell what she was feeling right now. Quietly, he left her privacy without saying his goodbyes.

But that conversation apparently did some good for the young ninja after all. She got well almost immediately within three days, and visited everyone she learned to love, bringing the sushi as promised.


	2. Realization

Yuffie sat on the ground, staring at the beautiful city of Wutai from her vantage point in the Dao-chao Mountains, not caring that evening is coming, and that she should seek solace in the warmth of her room back home soon, as she is distracted by the horizon where she could see the ocean and beyond it…

The giant red rock called Meteor hanging over the darkening azure skies. In a way, she took small comfort that the particular skylight is concentrated in Midgar for some reason. She couldn't bear if that thing is hanging over her country like that, almost like a giant baleful eye, waiting for an opportunity to strike and destroy the world as she knows it.

Cloud gave orders that everyone should return home and find in their hearts what they were truly fighting for. Yuffie thought that she already decided what her actions will be ever since she was ten yeas old┘ but knowing that very soon, they may all die, and her dreams will never come true, makes her more reluctant to consider that perhaps she got the whole thing wrong.

Sure all she ever wanted is to protect Wutai, to save it from its cultural degradation at the hands of ShinRa┘ but she never dreamed to set off into a crater and fight a crazy SOLDIER with a god complex, as it is a huge jump of her boundaries already. As soon as Cloud allowed everyone to leave the Highwind that day, she already made up her mind.

Her place is here in Wutai, to stay with her people in the end, and see it through with her father by her side.

Well, that was what she's been thinking of a few hours ago in which afterwards she found herself shuffling towards the damn boat with her equipment in gear, cursing under her breath that she's going to regret doing this.

But she knew she's just kidding herself. She already said what she wanted to say to her old man way before this, and it seems a waste of time to put it up again, and she didn't want to stay in her place for awhile. Her neighbors are acting up and some of the disbelievers who told her their gods and guardians doesn't exist are now praying fervently in the once abandoned temples. Yuffie is torn between laughing at their face and pitying Leviathan to put up with them.

As soon as the boat started to leave the shore, Yuffie sat on the floor covering herself with her traveling cloak, preparing herself to an evening of misery. She's nervous, afraid and seasick, a terrible combination.

Yet here she is, going back to AVALANCHE, and into a suicide mission to boot. She sighed, knowing she's not looking forward to it.

But she also knew that this isn't about Wutai anymore. It grew beyond that, after all those months of traveling with these unlikely strangers, fighting against ShinRa and facing the Planet's own cruelties. She didn't know if she got wiser or stronger during the experience, and even now, with everyone's existence now in jeopardy, she only made one realization.

No matter what happens, all she wanted now more than anything, is to see their journey through its end, though she'll never admit it out loud.

She is still grumbling at her uncomfortable spot before she drifted off to sleep.


	3. Dreams

She saw herself in the ruins of concrete that were once towering buildings that represented strength and power, her body being whipped by the savage winds, staring at the object hanging over the sky, threatening to crush everything under its huge bulk.

She suddenly found herself flying in the air, fighting a giant dragon she never saw before. Blue fire against black steel, and up above her the sky suddenly darkened and it began to rain.

She was crying as she saw her friend die, as that cruel sword pierced her body and robbed her of her dreams. She wept as her friend was taken outside, and lowered into that deep lake.

"Hey…" Aerith woke her up quietly as she shook her shoulders, and Yuffie was blinking as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, as she saw Leon and Cid resting in their respective sleeping bags. "You've been moaning the whole time. Are you alright?"

She tried to remember, but the images disappeared quickly and vanished in the recess of her mind. "It's nothing." She replied, instead, "Just a weird dream."


End file.
